The Long Journey
by bluegoldrose
Summary: When an unexpected visitor arrives the Doctor leaves his pregnant wife with her family & goes on a search through time & space for other Timelords in the hope that Gallifrey might return. Post S6:Doctor, River, Amy, Rory, Jack, Sarah Jane, Martha, & more
1. Family

Author's Notes: Post Series 6 timeline, post everything revealed in River's timeline except for the Library and the Singing Towers. This is the story of the Doctor's whole life, his past and his future. This is the story of River's inevitable trip to the Singing Towers and how the Doctor came to realize there was nothing he could do to keep her from going to the Library.

Characters: Doctor 11 or later, River Song, Amy, Rory, Jack Harkness, and others.

* * *

><p>The Long Journey<p>

They met for the first time on the day that she died. They met for the first time on the day she was born. Through their sacrifices they fell in love.

The Doctor watched River Song walking around the TARDIS control room. She was talking to Amy, her mother, who was fussing over the newest addition to the family: Carys. In watching them he couldn't help thinking about all that they had gone through and what was still in her future.

Over time she had told him the story of her life, of how she grew up and how she had come to love him.

River Song had almost no memory of her first childhood; her memories began when she regenerated in New York. She became a toddler with all the knowledge she had possessed as a child. She was found by a woman who took Melody into her home. Melody grew up with her adopted mother for many years, but in the late 1980s the woman grew ill and died. She was entering her late teens and no longer had a guardian, so Melody headed to England in order to try finding her biological parents.

When she found Amy and Rory, Melody bought a home nearby under her adopted mother's name and used the money she had inherited to support her self and pay the bills. She then reversed her aging so that she was the same approximate age as her parents and grew up right along side them. She was Mels Collins, the daughter of Samantha Collins who moved to Leadworth to hide away. Mels was always clever enough to avoid anyone prying into the fact that her mother was never seen, usually with the excuse that she was "away on a trip".

Those were the happiest years of River's young life. She adored her parents and spent most nights at Amy's house. She could separate the reasons why she found her parents in her mind. She was there because she wanted to be with them and she was there because they would one day lead her to the Doctor so that she could kill him. Yet as the years passed and Amy and Rory began dating she couldn't help but admit to herself that she adored the Doctor. The devotion he showed to her parents when she did manage to kill him was the thing that changed her adoration into love.

She was his wife now and quite recently pardoned for the crime of killing him. He would look at her and remember every moment they had spent together, learning about one another, and thinking back upon it all he was still amazed that they had reached this place. He had known from the day they had me t that he would trust her completely, enough to share his true name with her. The day he married her was the day he truly understood why he would trust her completely. He hadn't even been quite sure what he felt for her when he made the decision to marry her, he just felt that in the moment it was the best way for her to learn the truth. That she would go to prison for his death while he lived took such incredible strength. He saw her every day and gradually understood what he felt for her. He had always found her to be fun and flirty, mysterious and intelligent, not to mention quite attractive. Yet as he came to understand what she was giving up, so much freedom and experience in the free world, the more he began to realize he loved her.

Other than River and his first wife Mareksa, all of the Doctor's other marriages had been accidents usually involving cultural misunderstandings or the excessive consumption of liquor and sometimes the combination of the two. The short term marriages never meant anything, although it may have been a mistake to marry Elizabeth I. He had never really wanted a serious relationship after Mareksa, he had loved her so fully that even in his millennia long life without her he hadn't moved on, not until he loved Melody Pond.

He watched his family, vaguely thinking that it would be a good idea to move the children into a safer room other than the control room of the TARDIS but Rory and Amelia were far too cautious of their young ones to let them wander into anything dangerous. There were three little Ponds, or Williamses, he supposed that they had been given their father's name. Carys was only a few months old, Tristan was two, and Hope was three. Hope was born about a year after her older sister Melody and so far had shown every sign of being a completely normal child, unlike Melody.

Then there was the reason why he gathered his wife's family into the TARDIS. He walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his hands upon the swell of her stomach. It had been a very long time since he had experienced the wonder and joy of being a parent and somehow, beyond all reason or expectation he was going to be a father again.


	2. Marek

Perhaps expecting a child again was why he was so thoughtful lately. He would look at River and think about Mareksa and their children. River knew about his first family and the long story of the Time War. She was saddened by the losses he had been through and swore to stay by him until the day she died. He often wished that he could tell her when the day she died was, wanted so desperately to stop her from ever going to the Library. He knew that he would fail this family just as he had failed his first family.

He and Mareksa had known one another from the time they were children. Their parents worked together and they were in the same class at the Academy. From the time they were quite young their parents had arranged for their marriage, as was the custom in Time Lord families. Marek, as she was called by friends, was one of the most brilliant students in their age, while he was one of the worst. She was in the top one percent of their class, while he failed his first try and only managed a fifty percent on his second try. She paid no mind to it though, and laughed about it, telling him that if he ever really wanted to apply himself to a thing that he would be just as spectacular as she was thought to be.

They married upon finishing their education. She went into a career in inter-dimensional hyper physics while he went into medicine. They loved discussing their jobs and new ways of improving their society. Despite his terrible grades in school he was often rather serious, but she could make him laugh and smile. On the nights when she had a lot on her mind he would listen to her concerns. When their children were born they would spend as much time together as they could, taking trips and helping them with their school work. He couldn't remember a better time in his entire life.

Then one day, one terrible day, it all changed. It happened not long after their youngest son graduated from the Academy. Marek was traveling from the capital back to their house when the shuttle she was on had a power failure and crashed. She was severely injured as a result. She held on to her first form until he arrived so that she could say goodbye.

She was lying in a medical bed, bruised and cut and barely breathing. Then she saw him, and she smiled. "Sorry about the trouble, I was looking forward to dinner tonight." Her words came slowly and painfully.

He grinned a little and caressed her face. "You'll still have dinner tonight; you'll just have a new face."

She tried to laugh but it only came out as a groan. "It may not be my favorite anymore."

"Then we'll find your new favorite foods. You don't need to keep fighting the transformation; I'll be right here with you. I love you."

"Love you too," she whispered.

Then Mareksa changed. Her eyes, her hair, her face, her voice, everything he had known about her was transformed before his eyes. She let out a long breath and sat up on the edge of the hospital bed. She grinned a little. "How do I look?"

He was shaken but did his best to hide it and told her that she was beautiful, which was true, but he still felt that his wife was gone. He had seen other people he knew regenerate but somehow this one felt different.

She stood up and looked at herself in a nearby mirror. She nodded at her appearance and then proceeded to walk towards the door. "Not too bad, are you ready? I want to go home and change, and then eat. Maybe I'll still have the same favorite food."

He watched her walk towards the door and he could feel his hearts breaking. He would try to make it work but he knew that this was the end of their relationship. They both tried to work out there relationship, resuming their lives as best they could. She resumed her work, and for the most part had a similar routine, but she refused to renew their marriage vows.

Marriage and family were complex things on Gallifrey. Marriages were arranged in the first incarnation by the parents of the child time lords. The goal of the arranged marriages was to produce healthy children for the next generation. When either person died the marriage was ended but the family ties would remain. If both parties wanted to renew the marriage it was perfectly acceptable, but if one or both didn't want to renew the marriage they were free to marry as they pleased so long as they kept up with their family responsibilities. Family responsibilities lasted until children were married. Upon regeneration the only people who were still considered family were the parents and any direct descendants of an individual.

With their children all out of the Academy Marek's only responsibility to the Doctor was to see that their youngest son married. Shortly after his marriage, with all of her responsibilities to the Doctor ended, Marek left.

"I don't think we are right for each other," she told him. "I'm a new person, and some day you'll understand what it's like to regenerate and become someone new. We had wonderful times together, and there is nothing that will ever make me forget the life we lived together. It's time for me to move on though. You'll still see me, and I'll still be there for our children and their children. Find your happiness."

He rarely smiled after she left. Gallifrey didn't seem the same to him, and he no longer felt at peace there. He left his position at the hospital and began working a variety of odd jobs. What joy he did find was in watching his children begin their own families and in turn, watching his grandchildren grow. He had a particular fondness for Arkytior, his youngest grandchild.

Arkytior was curious about everything, and showed much promise at the Academy. She also shared her Grandfather's disapproval for the path Gallifrey seemed to be heading down, much to the distaste of all the rest of their family. Then one day he had a mad idea, he broke into a factory and stole the first TARDIS that had an open door. He then asked his granddaughter to run away with him, which she gladly did.

He and Arkytior found their way to Earth, where she took on the name Susan and he eventually took on the title of Doctor, hiding their true names from everyone else. He kept running, even when he left Susan behind. He would return to Gallifrey for a time and then leave, because there was nothing there to make him happy anymore. Even his companions in the long run only provided temporary distractions from his loneliness.

Then Gallifrey was lost, along with everyone he loved, and he had nothing left but to keep going with the hope that the memory of Gallifrey wouldn't die.


	3. Unexpected Guests

The Doctor looked at his family again as Rory carried Tristan and led Hope up the stairs to their bedroom. His first family had been lost with Gallifrey; he kept swearing to himself that he wouldn't ruin this family as well. So he took them on trips to places that were safe, and let them live their lives as normally as they possibly could.

He began playing with the controls of the TARDIS, distracting himself from his thoughts about his life on Gallifrey. He was half-listening to River and Amy talking and half paying attention to the various switches he was flipping. It didn't take long for the girls to be standing by him wondering where he was going to take them.

"To the beach, it's been awhile since we had a good day at the beach. The children will love it and it will be relaxing."

Amy grinned. "All this relaxing must be hard on you."

He shrugged but River replied for him. "He hates it, but ever since we learned that I was pregnant he refuses to do anything fun."

"Well I'm glad," Amy admonished. "I don't want my daughter to keep being in danger, especially not when you're pregnant." She paused a moment, the idea of already being a grandmother obviously not something she was able to handle yet. "So a beach, where and when?"

The Doctor hummed and twirled around the console a bit. When they stopped moving he checked the console's coordinates. "Earth, Hawaii, 2537."

"Hawaii, good choice," River said with a smile.

He shrugged. "I didn't choose it, the TARDIS did." He didn't miss the uneasy glance between the mother and daughter. "Don't worry; I'll make sure you're safe." He kissed River gently and hugged Amy. "I won't let anything happen to you again."

"I'll hold you to that," Amy said, and he could have sworn it was a challenge coming from her.

He left the Ponds and went outside, expecting beach but instead found himself inside of a warehouse. He soniced the area and didn't find anything suspicious but he continued to carefully search the area. It didn't take long before he found a locked door. His better judgment never winning out, he soniced the door, only to find that it wouldn't open. He kept trying which led to him shaking his head and his screwdriver a lot.

"Well that's odd, what sort of lock doesn't open for a sonic," he wondered aloud.

"A time lock," was the unexpected answer.

He turned slowly to the source of the voice and saw two people, both of whom were shockingly familiar. The older one was a man he had traveled with before, so long ago now, Jack Harkness. The younger one, the one who had spoken, was a woman. She was impossible.

"Marek," he whispered, so stunned he felt a sudden need to find the wall for support.

She shook her head. "No, not Mareksa."

He realized the truth of her words. She was very similar to Mareksa, but the face wasn't quite right, and the voice was different all together. The similarity was striking though, and he still wanted an answer. "Who are you then; Jack what is this place?"

"My name is Sophia or Sereialian, and I'm your great-great granddaughter."

The Doctor looked at her for awhile contemplating the possibilities and Jack was just standing behind her grinning, though not as brightly as the Doctor remembered. "But that's impossible I can tell when there is a Timelord nearby and I don't register that from you."

"I'm Susan, Arkytior's, granddaughter. I'm a quarter human, I wouldn't register as a Timelord to someone whose sensitivities only included purebloods."

"That's not possible."

Jack finally stepped forward a bit and the Doctor could see that his friend had aged a little since they had last met. "Doctor, I didn't believe her at first either but she has two hearts and far more brains than your usual human."

"Scan me with your TARDIS if you don't believe me," she challenged.

He wasn't quite sure what to think. The woman standing in front of him was a total stranger with his first wife's face. If she was telling the truth the resemblance would make sense as the physical genetic traits a Timelord possessed when conceiving a child did pass on. He also was aware that he couldn't perceive part Timelords or he would have known the truth about River from the day he met her. He looked between the two and decided that it was worth the risk to take them into the TARDIS. He wanted to know if she was truly his descendant, what they were doing in that warehouse, and why the TARDIS had come to that place.

"Fine, but I want to know everything."

She nodded. "Of course."


	4. Jack and Sophia

He led them back to the TARDIS and found the control room to be deserted; presumably the older Ponds were putting Carys to bed. He was relieved.

By the time Jack and Sophia entered the TARDIS, the Doctor was already fiddling with the controls on the console. He wanted to start scanning Sophia as soon as the TARDIS could.

"Love what you've done with the place," Jack said in awe of his new surroundings. Sophia said nothing but quietly observed her environment and sat down near the console. It wasn't long until Jack joined her, looking quite at ease.

The Doctor was growing impatient. He knew the DNA scan would take time; however, he wanted the results quickly so that he could have his questions answered. Finally there were results and he could see it quite clearly. Sophia's genetic drift was consistent with her being descended from him, with the unique factor that there were also strands of human DNA mixed with Timelord.

His stare between his scanner and her face was enough for Sophia to realize the results were in. "Satisfied," she said with a small smile on her face.

"How are you possible?"

"Long story." He didn't look impressed so she stood up and thought a few moments before continuing. "You left Susan with David Campbell in the twenty-second century they fell in love, and eventually wanted children. However Timelord DNA is picky and doesn't want to be crossed with other species, so Susan did her best to find a way for her to become pregnant with his child. One day a Timelady came and helped."

"Who?"

"Her name was Romanadvoratrelundar she said that she had traveled with you for a time and was known by you as Romana. She took my grandparents to Gallifrey and using genetic recombinations she enabled them to conceive. My father's name was Karelos, he eventually married a full blooded Timelady and I was born some time later."

"So you were born on Gallifrey?"

"Yes."

"And Romana helped in your father's conception?"

"Yes."

"And no one saw fit to tell me what was going on in _my_ family?" The Doctor's frustration was showing quite clearly but Sophia remained quite calm.

"Why would anyone have told you? You weren't involved with family matters anymore. From the time you were in your later four hundreds you were fairly well removed from Galifreyan society. Even in your short time leading the council, during your fifth or sixth life I believe, you remained rather distant from family matters. When Romana returned to Gallifrey it was a wonderful thing, and yet you barely acknowledged her return. You all but forgot about Arkytior on Earth and Romana was kind enough to return her home."

"I never forgot her, not for a moment. I left her on Earth so that she would learn and grow, so that she could have her own life. I may have lost touch with the family over time but that doesn't mean I don't care. I have thought about them more than ever since Gallifrey was lost."

There was a thick silence. The Doctor's anger mostly subsided but still quite unsettled by his great-great-granddaughter's presence. Sophia's cheeks had grown slightly pink with her frustration in speaking to the Doctor about family issues. Jack meanwhile remained quiet to the whole issue, since he didn't want to involve himself in family matters.

Finally the Doctor spoke, his voice much calmer than before. "How did you escape the fall of Gallifrey? And what is this warehouse?"

"Several groups felt that the Time War was reaching its climax. Those who had married non-Gallifreyians were being persecuted, and in order to be safe we scattered throughout time and space. Some used void-ships, others used chameleon arches, and people like me chose to hide among people whose DNA resembled our own. The Council tracked many of the refugees and some were killed. Later the reports came that Gallifrey was lost and the war was over. I've been in hiding ever since."

Jack picked up where she left off. "Eventually we ran into each other and both of us could tell right away we weren't quite human. So we decided to work together on a project."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "For Torchwood?"

Jack's smile fell, Torchwood was but a ghost to him anymore. "No, Torchwood died a long time ago, and even if parts of it still remain alive under the King's rule I haven't had anything to do with them for a very, very long time. Sophia and I stumbled across a group of people who had one thing in common: you."

The Doctor looked concerned. "Me, why was there a group about me?"

"It's not a was;" Sophia said excitedly. "There _is_ a group about you, they're alive and well, though its founders have passed some centuries ago. Every companion you left behind, every person whose life you impacted. They started connecting with one another, reaching out, seeking other people to talk to about the incredible things that had happened while they knew you. At first Jack and I were both cautious about joining the group but when we met the people in it we knew that there was nothing but love and respect for you from those people."

"The time locked doors here," Jack continued. "Contain the archived records of the experiences each companion and friend you had on Earth until this point. Any stories they told and information they shared is stored within the computers and files we have. The records are time locked so that people can't know about the future, and each record will unlock after the event it describes takes place."

Sophia smiled. "These vaults were made in honor of you, so that one day others might learn more about you and all the good you have done. I'm glad that the records could cause you to come here as well, even if it wasn't on purpose."

The Doctor smiled; she was brilliant. Then a new idea struck him. "You said that you escaped and so did others, do you know if anyone else was outside the time lock on Gallifrey?"

She shook her head. "I would assume so, but there's no way to know for certain if any of the others survived and where they would be." She grinned a little, as if she were about to reveal a great secret. "What if we could return Gallifrey?"

The Doctor snorted. "It's impossible; don't you think that if there were another way I would have taken that course of action? The terrors Rassilon and the Daleks unleashed in the end would have destroyed everything if they had been allowed to continue."

Whatever protest Sophia was going to offer died as River announced her presence. "Well, who are our guests," she asked the Doctor.

He smiled at her, distracted from the conversation he had just been having. "River I would like you to meet Sophia and Jack. Jack, Sophia, this is River Song."

All three of them had odd expressions, none of which the Doctor could quite read. Then he saw a familiar expression on River's face, she was angry, the kind of angry he would rather be on the other side of the galaxy than face. "His name isn't Jack," she said, her voice hard and toneless.

Jack's eyes brightened, it had been far too long since someone knew he wasn't Jack Harkness. "And how do you know that," he asked, stepping cautiously towards her.

She laughed coarsely, and the Doctor was glad that she was unarmed. "You really don't remember? You tracked me down for almost two years before handing me over to the guards at Stormcage."

The Doctor looked between his wife and companion in shock; he honestly had no words for this situation.

Sophia just calmly took a seat and watched the scene play out before her. She was somewhat relieved that she was no longer the focus of the conversation.

For Jack a lot of mysteries finally made sense. He had seen River Song before, in dreams; yet whenever he awoke the dreams would fade and he would be left with just a vague impression of the memory. She was the key to the two years the Time Agency had stolen from him, and whatever he had done in that time, she didn't seem happy to see him.

"Look, I honestly don't remember you. It's been a very long time since I was a Time Agent. When I worked for the agency I did a lot of things, some of which I'm too proud of anymore. I left them when they took my memories, two years of my memories."

River's anger was more controlled, but she still clearly had an issue with him. "I'm supposed to believe that they took away every memory of you chasing me. I had only just returned to the University when you showed up trying to take me to jail." She looked over at the Doctor. "I knew that I would go to prison for killing you, but the time agency knew when and where to find me as soon as I was returned to the future."

The Doctor furrowed his brow, deep in thought. "We never talked about it, but if what you both say is true then it would seem that the Time Agency was in league with the Silence. They trained you to kill me and after they returned you to your time they sent an agent to imprison you for doing their deeds. You also never told me that you were on the run for two years before Stormcage."

"You never asked and you started showing up as soon as I was there so I didn't think about it." They stared at one another for a few moments before River changed the topic. "So you really don't remember chasing me through the sulfur pits of Langora III or the fire fight on Farris Prime?"

Jack grinned a little but shook his head. "Wish I did, it sounds like those two years were memorable for you."

River smiled. "Oh they were. So how do you know the Doctor?"

"It's a long story. We used to travel together. Why were you imprisoned for killing him?"

The Doctor and River exchanged a glance. "Long story," she said with a smirk. "You couldn't have left the agency that long ago, you don't look much older than the last time I saw you."

Jack laughed. "It's been over a thousand years since I lived that life."

"But that's impossible," River exclaimed. Then she noticed the sheepish look on the Doctor's face and the way he was shifting uncomfortably. She gave him a questioning look.

"Long story, I'll tell you about it later."

The group continued talking for awhile, getting acquainted with one another. They didn't however return to the topic that most interested Sophia, the possibility of Gallifrey's return.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I combined my knowledge of canon and non-canon stories for the background of Sophia. I have a goal of answering unanswered questions throughout this story, one of which was answered in this chapter: why is Jack missing two years of his life.<p> 


	5. Talk of Timelocks

The following morning they did go to the beach, though not before spending a long time introducing Amy and Rory to Sophia and Jack. The group got along well, and soon Jack, Rory, Amy, and River were exchanging stories of their travels with the Doctor while they watched the children play.

Sophia kept mostly to herself. She clearly wanted to talk to the Doctor more, but she got the distinct impression that he was trying to avoid her. He was friendly to her, but any time she brought up Gallifrey he would shut down. She was far too great a reminder of everything he had lost. So after awhile she just let the matter rest.

When the time came for them to leave Hawaii, the Doctor asked Sophia and Jack to come with him, and they accepted. It wasn't much later that the Williams family was returned to their home in England.

One night not too much later when Jack and River were asleep, Sophia walked back to the control room where the Doctor was busy fiddling with various parts of the TARDIS. She watched him for awhile, wanting to talk to him but still not quite sure to approach him with some topics. He was friendly to her but she still felt like he was avoiding her most of the time.

"Grandfather, can we talk," she said softly as she approached his swing under the console.

He looked at her, his eyes slightly misty from her use of the family term, but he shrugged it off and smiled. "Of course, what about?"

"Gallifrey," she said simply.

He got up immediately and began playing with other parts of the TARDIS. "There's nothing to talk about. Gallifrey is gone. It was removed from time forever."

"Unless the time lock is broken," she said emphatically, moving herself in front of him again.

"That would bring about the destruction of the universe," he said quite gravely. "That's the whole reason the Time War was removed from time."

"But if the time lock were to be moved to the Void then it could in theory be separated from the terrors of the war."

He opened and closed his mouth a few times and then shook his head. "Only if there were a lot more Time Lords on our side to help control the variables and coefficients. Someone would also need to prevent Rassilon from continuing his madness."

"We already have someone in the council chambers. You saw her when the Master tried to overthrow the Earth, the man Wilfred Mott wrote about it. There was an older woman, she looked at you; she wanted you to know it was ok."

He looked pained at her words. "I can't depend upon her."

"Marek would be on your side no matter what, just because she refused to renew her vows to you doesn't mean that she stopped caring. She was working with Romana at the end, she helped me and the others escape."

He contemplated her words. "It still doesn't matter, there aren't enough Time Lords to do what you propose plus the timelock needs two keys to open and one of the keys is on Gallifrey."

"Which can be accessed at any time... Please, let us try."

Her pleas fell upon deaf ears. "Why do you refuse to let Gallifrey go?"

She realized that he was just as desperate to forget Gallifrey as she was to revive it. She laid a hand gently on his arm. "What about finding other survivors? Until finding me you didn't know there was anyone else. I have a list of names; we could try to find them."

He laid a hand on top of hers. "I can't, not right now."

She looked hurt and confused, but she followed his eyes to the hall and knew why. "River?"

He nodded. "She's pregnant, still only visible to people who know her well, anyone else would think she was just a little round in the middle. I can't endanger her or the baby."

She nodded sadly. "Then I guess we'll just travel together Grandfather."

River spoke up finally. She had been watching them for awhile. "No. Doctor, I know how much this means to you. We have time together still, time to raise our child. I can spend time with my parents while you three travel the universe looking for other Time Lords."

The Doctor took River's hands gently, he didn't know what to do or say. "I know that you'll return for me and our child. Go with Sophia, find your people. I'll be safe with my parents."

He gathered his wife into his arms and held her tightly. "Thank you," he whispered into her ear.

So it was decided, River would go to her parents for a time, and the Doctor would travel with Sophia and Jack while they searched for other Time Lords, wherever in time and space they could be.

* * *

><p>Author's note: There's a specific reason why Sophia is convinced that Gallifrey will return.<p>

In general I think that the woman in "The End of Time" is the Doctor's mother, but for emotional impact, his first wife works well too.


	6. Going Away

River was packing her bags when Sophia gently knocked on the doorframe of her room. River gave her a smile and invited her inside.

Sophia glanced around the room anxiously, her hands clasped behind her back. River looked up at the other woman, questioning. "What do you want to talk about?

She sighed. "When I first heard your name I knew who you were. Your name is in stories spread throughout the Doctor's life. The woman who killed him and the woman who married him, they're one and the same." She bit her lip and produced and old, tattered book from behind her back. "I want you to read this, it concerns you. I'm sure he would be upset with me if he knew it existed but I want you to have it."

River held the book in her hand and gently turned some of the pages. "It's a journal," she said, her voice ponderous.

Sophia nodded. "It was written by a woman named Donna Noble, she was the Doctor's companion for a time. He had to erase her memories of everything that happened during their time together, but she remembered bits of it over time. She wrote down her strange memories and dreams in this journal. Read it while you wait for us to return."

She could tell that the other woman was somewhat desperate for her to read it. "I will. Do something for me if you can."

"Anything," Sophia said with a smile.

"Keep him safe," River said softly, in all seriousness.

Sophia gave her a solemn look. "I swear to you, we will come back, and he will raise that child with you if I have anything to say about it."

The women laughed together. Then River considered the journal for a moment and slipped it next to her own inside one of the bags.

* * *

><p>Amy was watching her children playing in the yard when the TARDIS appeared. River stepped out first, carrying two small bags which she quickly set down when her little sister came running toward her.<p>

Amy walked over to her oldest daughter and hugged her. "We weren't expecting you for a few weeks for Tristan's birthday." She looked at River and then the Doctor, eyeing them suspiciously. "What's wrong?"

River smiled weakly. "Nothing's wrong mum I'm just going to be staying with you for awhile."

Amy gave a questioning look to the Doctor who smiled. "Oh it's nothing to worry about really. I'm going on an expedition of sorts, looking for other Timelords and want Melody to be safe. Given her condition I figured the best place for her would be with her parents, don't you?"

Amy nodded. "You better come back before your child is born or else."

He bowed solemnly to her. "You have my word Mrs. Williams." He then looked around a bit. "Where's the Roman?"

Amy laughed. "He's at the hospital, working, some of us need to do that you know."

"Ahh well, give him my regards and I'll be back before you know it." He gave Amy and her children warm hugs and saved his goodbye to River for last. "I'll be back for you, much sooner for you than for me." She smiled sadly, fighting back tears. "I love you River Song, Melody Pond; I will always come back for you."

She nodded and took a deep breath; she hated how much being pregnant increased her emotional responses. "I love you too, be safe."

Then with a kiss, the Doctor returned to the TARDIS and left on his new journey. It would be the longest journey he would ever take, and though he didn't know where it would take him or if they would find any other Timelords; he knew that he would live to see at least one more day with River Song. He didn't know what the fate of their child would be, but Dorillian and the Singing Towers were still in their future, so he knew that some day he would return to her even if it would be their end.


	7. The Future

Rory and Amy were glad to have their oldest daughter stay with them. Though at first it was an unusual arrangement for all of them and took some time to adjust to since it was the first time they had all lived together as something resembling a normal family. While Rory and Amy worked, River spent time watching her younger sisters and brother.

It took her a little while before she opened Donna Noble's journal. Some of the pages were torn and some of the words had faded away, but she could still read most of it.

_"Granddad told me to write down my dreams; they're too bonkers to tell people about. My head hurts so much when I wake up sometimes. I don't tell Shaun about them._

_The dreams feel so real sometimes, which is insane because they can't be real._

_There were these enormous bees once... which obviously can't be real._

_There's always this man though, a man in a suit._

_He's in every dream, every crazy dream._

_Him and a blue box."_

In her studies about the Doctor River had learned about many of his companions. She had read about Donna Noble and the battle inside the Medusa Cascade. The stories she had heard didn't quite capture the essence of the woman whose journal she was reading. Donna was smart but not in the conventional way, sensitive, and not very sure of herself. Eventually River was able to find what Sophia wanted her to know.

_"There were shadows. Shadows and bones._

_Books, tons of books, they were everywhere._

_There were these people in spacesuits, and a woman. She had the curliest hair I've ever seen. She knew the man in the suit but he didn't seem to know her._

_She had a book, a blue book. It looked like the box._

_He was so sad._

_She died, she died saving people."_

It was early in the morning when Rory came home. He saw River reading and rereading the passages in the journal about herself. He looked over at her and realized that she was crying and had been for some time. He put his hands on her shoulder, startling her from her reverie.

"Melody, are you ok?"

She shook her head but fought to smile. "I know where I'm going to die. I always knew I would die some day but... And he knows dad, he knows when I'm going to die, he knows how I'm going to die."

Rory looked angry and confused. "How do you know?"

"It's in this journal, written by one of the people he traveled with, Sophia gave it to me. He would never have wanted me to know my future, for the same reasons I never told him his future. It'll be ok dad, we all die some day."

He hugged her tightly and kissed her head. "I just don't want you to be hurt any more than you have been."

"I'll be fine, always am. I'll be here to see my brother and sisters grow up, I wouldn't miss it for anything. Right now I just wish I knew how his search is going, there aren't that many months left in this pregnancy."

* * *

><p>"Two years," the Doctor was ranting. "We've been searching for two years and haven't had a single successful lead or even a lead at all. This is pointless."<p>

"We've had this argument before, and two years is no time at all compared to all of the ages we need to search!"

Jack walked over to him to try calming the older Timelord down, while Sophia stormed off towards the pool, she had taken to swimming laps when she was angry. "Doctor, she seems to think this will work, why not keep giving it a try. The three of us have a lot of time we can spend on this."

"I know that Jack, I know we can keep going on about this for centuries, but I let go of Gallifrey. When you met me it was just after the war had ended. I had lost everything. It took a long time for me to be ok, and the more time I spend on this search the less ok I become. I'm an old man Jack; I've seen and done terrible things. Sophia, for as much as I love the link she gives me to my old family, to my old life, it hurts me every time I see her.

Jack laughed a little. "Doctor I've lived a lot longer than you and done far worse things. Talk to her, find out why this means so much to her, why she seems so sure it's going to work. That's the only way you'll get any answers that make sense."

The Doctor waited awhile before going to see Sophia. He found her in the library. She was wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair still damp from swimming laps.

"Can we talk," he asked, she looked at him and nodded but didn't voice a reply. So after an awkward moment he sat across from her and started talking. "I know we haven't gotten along and that I've ignored you. I know that this search means a lot to you. I just want to know why this means so much to you. You've had to have spent hundreds of years without Gallifrey, just like I have. I know you were there during the war, and you met my companions after the war ended, so you know how much it impacted me. You seem so sure that it can all be undone and I've never bothered asking you why. I'm sorry."

She set her book down and considered him thoughtfully. "I left Gallifrey when my parents were killed. They were struck down in one of the Dalek assaults. I used a time jump and arrived in the middle of Europe in the 1800s. I moved from place to place, hiding, thinking that I would be found and killed. Then the war ended. I found Jack and other people who had traveled with you, and finally found some sort of peace. But I miss Gallifrey; I miss the planet I grew up on. I grew up reading about you, the things you had done and were doing. I never forgot any of the stories, not for a moment."

She laughed a bit and smiled. "When I learned that you were safe I knew that Gallifrey would return there was no other possibility. You know it too, if you remember your own past."

The Doctor shook his head; he had no idea what she was talking about. She grinned like a little girl, holding a huge secret that she couldn't wait to tell. "The Valeyard," she whispered.

Then suddenly it all fell into place for the Doctor. A dark version of himself from beyond his twelfth lifetime that had put him on trial on Gallifrey so very long ago, would only be possible if Gallifrey were out of the timelock. He stood up and paced for the longest time, considering all of the possibilities and outcomes, and he realized that her belief had to be at least somewhat true.

"If I was able to return to my past self from my future self then there must be a way through the timelock. The only way in theory that you've found of resolving the difficulties with the timelock is to find more Timelords who can help us shift Gallifrey from the lock into an inbetween plane which would enable us to separate the War from Gallifrey and prevent any interference with past events in non-linear time streams... You're brilliant!" He pulled her up out of her seat and gave her a hug.

"Ready to keep searching for other survivors now?" She asked him, laughing at his new found enthusiasm.

"For however long it takes."

* * *

><p>Reviews are appreciated.<p> 


	8. New Old Friends

"You should really go to a doctor to make sure everything is alright."

"I would mother if my baby were human," River replied to Amy. "If you really want to find a doctor for me then why not try finding the group Sophia mentioned, see if any of them are doctors."

Amy gave her an incredulous look. "And how do you suppose we find them?"

River laughed. "Between the ones he and I talked about and the others I read about I know who most of his companions were. I can make a list of them for you if you'd like."

Amy agreed, and later that day the two women and Rory began searching for signs of people who knew the Doctor. It was hard at times to wade through the various speculation, rumors, stories, and completely unrelated articles that could be found on the internet. Though with the knowledge they had of previous TARDIS inhabitants they were able to track down a few leads.

A few days later Rory and Amy were driving up to a house on Bannerman road. They parked and went up the walkway to the door. A few minutes after ringing the bell a woman with graying brown hair answered the door.

"Can I help you?"

Amy smiled somewhat nervously. "Are you Sarah Jane Smith?"

Sarah Jane stepped outside, her eyes studying the young couple. "Yes, who are you?"

"Amy and Rory Williams, we traveled with the Doctor and were hoping to talk to others who knew him as well"

Sarah Jane thought for a few moments, trying to remember why their names sounded familiar. When she recalled the names she still regarded them with suspicion. "The last time I saw the Doctor he said that he was traveling with a newly married couple, Amy and Rory, but I believe he said Mr. and Mrs. Pond."

Amy burst into giggles but Rory sighed and rolled his eyes. Sarah Jane looked confused. "My wife met the Doctor when she was a little girl, her maiden name is Pond. He took to calling her that and after we married and traveled together on the TARDIS he liked to refer to us both as 'The Ponds'."

"I wonder when he came back during our honeymoon; it had to have been after the planet where we almost crashed."

"Probably when we were on the 'honeymoon' planet."

Sarah Jane's eyes lit up. "Yes, he said you were on a planet that was on a honeymoon, it's been several years since then. So your traveling days are done then?"

They both laughed a little. "It's hard to say some days," Amy said, trying to find the words for their current life with the Doctor.

Sarah Jane smiled. "Well come in then and we'll have tea and talk about the Doctor."

The three spent some time talking and laughing together, but it was over an hour before the reason behind Amy and Rory's visit was brought up. "Do you know any doctor's who knew the Doctor?" Rory asked.

Sarah Jane thought for a few moments before answering. "Yes, there's a woman named Martha, she lives in another part of London and travels frequently but we stay in touch. Why do you need a doctor who knows the Doctor?"

Amy and Rory shared a look, unsure of what exactly to say and what not to say, they had been very careful about avoiding the subject of their oldest daughter. "Our oldest daughter, Melody, is pregnant." Noticing Sarah Jane's look of shock Amy quickly continued explaining her story. "She's not a little girl, our other three children are still very young, but she's older than we are. Melody was born in the future, raised in the past and has spent most of her adult life traveling through time. She was taken from me the day she was born, from my arms." Amy's voice shook a little and Rory held her hands tightly, she would never be able to fully get over losing baby Melody, even though they loved her as River Song. "It's a very long story of how she came back to us, but in the end we grew up knowing her without knowing who she was, and later she came back to us as the woman we know now. Her child isn't human, and we want her to see a doctor that understands."

The older woman nodded. "I understand. I'll get see if I can get in touch with Martha for you, I'm sure she'd love to help out."

Rory and Amy thanked her for her time and for her willingness to help. They also exchanged numbers and other contact information before heading home.

A week later Sarah Jane gave them a call and Amy, Rory, and River returned to her house along with the children. Sarah Jane welcomed them warmly, and led them to her living room where Martha and her husband Mickey were sitting.

"Martha and Mickey Smith, this is Rory and Amy Williams and their four children."

Martha stood up to greet them, smiling. "Sarah Jane's told us all about you; you must be Melody," she said to River.

"Yes, and my sisters and brother. Traveling with the Doctor does make for an interesting life," River said lightly, and the laughter from everyone else in the room was in agreement.

"Well why don't we go see how your baby is doing? Sarah Jane let me set up a make-shift office down the hall."

River shrugged easily. "Sure, let's go." So the two women left everyone else to talk while they walked to the "doctor's office".

"Sorry to hurry you out like that," Martha said as soon as she closed the door to the small room. "But I know that whenever conversations start about the Doctor it's hard to stop and Sarah Jane said that your parents want to make sure you're doing ok."

River smiled. "They worry too much. I was independent by they time they learned who I was. But knowing if the baby is healthy is important."

Martha smiled back. "They're right, plus being pregnant is scary even for the other family members. I'm two months along and my whole family is already giving advice." She rolled her eyes a bit and then became more serious. "How did you get to be older than your parents though; if you don't mind me asking?"

River thought for a moment before answering. "My mother was taken in between travels with the Doctor when she only thought she could be pregnant. The people who took her kidnapped me from her as soon as I was born. They experimented on me and changed me; they wanted me to become a weapon against the Doctor. But I fought against it and became someone else instead. I found my parents at different times in their lives but couldn't tell them who I was until they were ready to learn about me. It's a long complicated story. My native time is in the distant future, I'm just living here for now."

Martha's eyes threatened to leak tears. "I'm so sorry, that must have been awful."

"I think my parents suffered worse than I have. My mother barely slept when Hope was born. She was so terrified that her second child would be taken away. I stayed with them for the first month of her life so that they would remember that I'm ok. It was a lot for my grandparents to take as well I can assure you, but we've... adjusted."

Martha nodded sympathetically. "Well I think that covers the family history part of the exam, why don't we move on to seeing how you and the baby are doing?"

So River lay down on the exam bed that was set up in the room and submitted to the various tests Martha performed. The last part of the exam was the ultrasound to see how the baby was progressing.

"How far along are you?"

"About five months."

Martha nodded, taking note of that in her head. Shortly into her exam she kept looking between River, her belly, and the machine, as if what she was seeing made no sense at all.

River's eyebrows raised in alarm. "What's wrong?"

Martha cocked her head to the side. "I'm not sure. I've never seen readings like this before, which I expected because I was told the baby was a hybrid... but... this is impossible. Well... First thing you should know is that you're not having _a_ baby..." The slight pause made River look positively terrified, but Martha smiled. "You're having twins."

River laughed. "That's wonderful news."

Martha nodded, she still seemed anxious though. "I'm just wondering, these readings. There are four heart beats other than your own. These babies... their father..."

River looked at the other woman and nodded very seriously and solemnly. "Timelords, the babies are Timelords. They are the Doctor's children."

Martha Jones was speechless.

* * *

><p>There was a ding. A most decidedly clear and distinct ding was ringing through the TARDIS. Jack was the first person in the control room as the other two were actually sleeping for a change. He checked the sensors over and over again, just to make sure and then ran down the corridors screaming "Doctor" as loudly as he could manage.<p>

"What," the Doctor yelled back finally, as he walked down the corridor in a long bathrobe. "I swear I've only been asleep for an hour and you come running down the hall screaming my name like you're a young man again."

Jack laughed, and for a moment he did look much younger again. "The alert, it's going off."

The Doctor seemed lost, unsure of what alert Jack was talking about. Then his eyes widened and he shook his head, not thinking it could be possible. "Not the..." Jack nodded emphatically and then the two of them ran off towards to control room. Along the way they nearly ran into Sophia who was on her way to find them. Together the three of them ran back to the control room and made sure that the reading was accurate.

The Doctor was so overwhelmed that he sank into the chair on the control deck, while Sophia cheered and spun around with Jack.

"Sixty years and finally, we've found one," she shouted. "I told you to have faith and finally, finally we've found one!"

The Doctor smiled, she was so much like her great-great grandmother at times, and at times so much like himself. He wouldn't let himself become too hopeful though, and chastened her softly. "We've found evidence of chameleon technology, which should lead us to another Time Lord but we should still be cautious. There's no knowing who or what we will find."

She pouted a little. "Aren't you happy we've found something?"

He stood up and gave her a big hug. "I'm amazed, so wonderfully amazed by this all, and so glad to have you to thank for it."

"This is nothing, now we need to find the Time Lord in hiding and convince him or her to join us," Jack interjected.

"We can do it, I know we can," Sophia said confidently. If it only took them sixty years to find their first Time Lord, surely it couldn't take that long to find others.

* * *

><p>Reviews are appreciated.<p> 


	9. New Life

They were wrong of course about finding the other Timelords being quick. They tracked the first signal for a week before pinpointing the specific planet it was coming from. It took another two weeks to find the source.

On Perrini 7, in the Triangulum Galaxy, over three million years into the past from the time River was living in, there was a small village. In the village there were two people who were considered wise prophets. They had wandered through the deserts in the high country many years before settling in town. So when three strangers appeared in the village, the people brought them to see the prophets right away.

Then it seemed so laughably easy to the Doctor and his companions, all of their hard work was finally going to pay off. Around the necks of both Prophets were pendants with line drawings and stars upon them. Their conversation was complex. They needed to explain why they were there and not frighten the primitive culture, but they also needed to reawaken the two Timelords standing in front of them.

Three days later they convinced the Prophets to open their amulets and the two Timelords were reborn: the Maker and the Muse, a husband and wife who had remarried in every incarnation.

As soon as their memories were restored they looked between one another and at the Doctor with wide eyes. "Doctor, what has happened," the Muse asked.

He shifted awkwardly where he stood. "Long story, what is the last thing you remember?"

The Maker was very grave in his reply. "Rassilon losing his mind and bringing the terrors to Gallifrey. We took our TARDIS to the most forsaken part of time and space we could and hid. What happened to Gallifrey?"

The Doctor froze. He had often thought about what he would say if he met another Timelord who didn't know what he had done. Now that he was in that situation he had no idea what to say. Sophia noticed his fidgeting and answered instead. "Sereialian, descendant of the Doctor. Not too long after you escaped, Gallifrey was placed in a time lock to prevent the terrors from destroying the universe. To all of time and space Gallifrey is gone, but we are trying to find a way around the lock to restore our world. In order to do that we need people like you, shall we return to the TARDIS to talk?"

The Maker and Muse agreed, and for many hours they sat and talked and listened. In the end the couple agreed to travel with the Doctor and his long-lived companions. So together, the four Timelords and the immortal Jack Harkness continued the search for any other survivors of Gallifrey who could help break the time lock.

They searched for two hundred more years and found a total of ten more Timelords throughout time and space. One by one, though some with great reluctance, each of the Timelords joined together on the TARDIS. The next phase was ready to begin.

* * *

><p>The truth about the twins was shared to the small group. Sarah Jane, Martha, and Mickey were all told that the babies were the Doctor's and then all sworn to secrecy. The group became quite close throughout the months of River's pregnancy and enjoyed spending time getting to know one another. Sometimes Amy and Rory would go on double dates with Martha and Mickey; it was a relief for both couples to have friends to share their unusual lives with.<p>

As the few remaining months of River's pregnancy were coming to a close they all began to wonder if and when the Doctor would return.

At nearly nine months along, River was not only huge but quite angry at her husband for not having returned. He was a time-traveler and yet somehow he couldn't be bothered to show up at a decent time when his wife was going to have his babies.

Martha was at the Williams home very shortly after she received a call from River saying that she was having contractions. It was the middle of the night so traffic was minimal and she could speed much more easily than in the daytime.

Rory let Martha into the house and to River's room where Amy was comforting her oldest daughter as best she could.

"I'm going to kill him," River growled.

Amy laughed. "Don't you think twice was enough?"

River glared at her mother but there was a hint of a smile as well.

Martha gave them both a questioning look, even after all these months there was still a lot she didn't know about her patient. "Still no word from him yet?"

The other three shook their heads. Martha shook her head sadly. "If it were Mickey I'd want to kill him too. Can't believe the Doctor would do this to you. Have you tried phoning him?"

It took all of ten seconds from the time the words left Martha's mouth for River to get the nearest phone and call the Time Vortex to reach her wayward love.

* * *

><p>The Doctor had just finished helping his people settle on an obscure out of the way world that had been abandoned due to the collapse of the native society. It would be perfect for the work his people would accomplish. They named the planet Haven since New Gallifrey seemed tacky. When their settlement was established enough that they would be able to live and conduct their experiments a chameleon device was set up so that the planet would be ignored by anyone who happened to travel nearby.<p>

"Well it looks like my work here is done," the Doctor announced merrily to Sophia and Jack as they looked at the settlement. "What will we do now?"

Sophia shook her head and laughed. "All these years, all this time and you really think we're done? Would you really just leave our people and go gallivanting throughout the universe again?"

He looked at her as though she had suddenly thrown cold water on his face. However before he could manage a reply the phone began ringing inside the TARDIS. He ran inside and after a few moments rushed back outside, prancing like a little child who needed to use a restroom.

"River's having the baby... she's going to kill me... again!"

Sophia laughed. "You forgot didn't you?"

He fidgeted uncomfortably, she knew him far too well. "No... yes... but not really. I never forgot but it did slip my mind. We've been traveling for a long time. I need to go."

She nodded, and a wall seemed to appear between them. "Go to her; she needs you."

He paused, realizing that she wasn't going to come with him. "You're staying."

She let out a long breath. "Finding our people was only step one, we need to keep working on the time fold for Gallifrey."

He forced a smile. "I understand. Well what about you Jack Harkness, are you staying as well?"

He gave Sophia a grin, still just as charming as he had been when the Doctor first met him. "I think I'm staying with you Doctor, but I must say I'll miss the company of your granddaughter, we've known each other for a very long time."

"I'll miss you too Jack." She gave him a hug and he walked into the TARDIS. The Doctor turned to follow him but she spoke again. "Before you go there's something I need from you."

"Anything," he said with no hesitation.

She looked at him without a hint of humor. "I need the key to the Timelock; it's the only way for this to succeed."

He held her gaze for awhile, contemplating all the options. Then he slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a round stone with Gallifreyian writing on it. "Be careful and don't show the others."

She nodded. "Come back to me, to our people, and bring your family." She smiled at him and hugged him. "I want to meet your new baby."

"You will," he replied and then with a laugh he hurried into his TARDIS and returned to River Song.

He landed the TARDIS in its usual place in Amy and Rory's yard, and hurried into the house. He was quickly met by Rory who he tried to greet happily but Rory glared at him.

"She's in labor, with your children and you haven't seen her in months!"

Several emotions shot across his face at the same time. He was guilty, anxious, and shocked. "Children?"

"She's having twins. Come on!"

Together the two men hurried upstairs and into River's room. As soon as he saw River the Doctor rushed to her side and held her hand, ignoring the others in the room. "River, my beautiful Melody," he whispered. "I'm so sorry I took so long."

She smiled a little, despite her anger at him. "It's alright, you're here now."

He smiled back at her, his face full of wonder. "We're having twins?" She laughed and nodded. He kissed her forehead gently before finally realizing there were other people in the room.

"Doctor," Martha asked, unsure since she hadn't seen his new face.

He smiled at her and gave her a hug. "Martha Jones! You're pregnant!"

She laughed. "Yes, and it's Smith now not Jones. I've missed you."

"It's so good to see you again."

"I like the new face, you got younger."

"Yes, well the older I get the younger I want to be, what brings you here?"

"I'm your wife's doctor."

"Out of freelance then?"

Martha shrugged. "We left it shortly before I became pregnant. Mickey's working for UNIT and I'm working in a local clinic. Amy and Rory got ahold of me through Sarah Jane, and we've become pretty good friends since. River has been in labor for almost two hours, the question is where are you planning on having the babies?"

He looked over at his wife who for the moment was doing ok. "The TARDIS would probably be the best place. That is if you are ok to move?"

"Sweetie I'm always ok. We can go to the TARDIS. I'm sure the medical bay is suitable more for the birth than my bedroom."

The Doctor helped his wife to the TARDIS while Amy, Rory, and Martha gathered the three younger Ponds and brought them into the TARDIS as well. When the children were safely sleeping in their room on the TARDIS, Rory and Amy went to join their oldest daughter in the medical bay.

River's labor took several hours before the first of the twins came into the universe. She was a beautiful little girl with bright blue eyes and dark curly hair. An hour later her green eyed brother joined the family. After being passed around between all the adults present, the twins were left alone with their parents while the rest went to the kitchen.

The Doctor sat down on the bed beside his wife and they cuddled their children. "They're so beautiful," he said softly. "I'm sorry I was gone so long. I never would have missed this, not for anything in the universe."

"I know. I was scared that you wouldn't come back."

"River, I wouldn't leave you, not ever." He kissed her softly and then asked, "Have you thought of names for them?"

She smiled. "Yes, but I thought I'd ask you first."

He nodded softly. "On Gallifrey a name is considered very powerful, so to keep ourselves safe when a child is born the parents give that child two names. One is their true name and the other is the name everyone will know that child by, the second name changes over time. When I was young I was known as Theta, eventually I became known as the Doctor. My parents and my first wife know my true name; it's traditional at marriages for the bride and groom to privately exchange true names. Given the unusual circumstances of our wedding I haven't told you my birth name, but I can tell you now when we name our children."

"I'd like that."

"Good. Now then, what names have you thought of?"

"Altantsetseg, for our daughter, it means golden flower in Mongolian. Ahtahkakoop, for our son, it means star blanket in Cree, they're a Native American group."

"They are lovely names... Have you thought of any... simpler names? For the names everyone will know them by?"

River laughed. "Father likes the name Callum and mother likes the name Olivia."

"All good names," he proclaimed. Then he proceeded to perform a simple Galllifreyian naming ceremony. He spoke his name as father of the two children and Melody Pond as the mother, and then gave them the names River and her parents had chosen. "Our son will be known as Callum and our daughter as Olivia, when they reach adulthood they may share their secret names with whomever they marry."

"Thank you my love, for everything."

"Thank you, for giving me a family again. I love you Melody."

She whispered his name and said that she loved him as well before falling asleep comfortably against him with their babies on their chests.

* * *

><p>Reviews are appreciated.<p> 


	10. Parting

In the TARDIS kitchen Amy, Rory, and Martha were sitting at the table drinking something that looked like soda that they had found in one of the cooling units. They were all exhausted but decided to unwind a little before going to sleep.

"I can't believe how different the TARDIS looks," Martha was saying.

"What was it like when you traveled with him," Rory asked.

Martha smiled, remembering it fondly. "It looked like coral or something. It felt much more organic. Now it feels so futuristic."

Amy sat up a bit. "We saw the coral control room one time. Apparently she stores the data somewhere in her matrix. Which one do you like more?"

"This one actually. I mean the other one was my home and will always feel like home, but this one is... well cooler."

The others nodded. "I wonder what they've decided to name our grandchildren," Rory pondered.

"Something better than 'Doctor' I hope," Amy replied with a grin.

Then they heard a familiar voice from the hall. "The happy couple is resting so that must mean the voices I hear are her parents." Through the doorway stepped Jack Harkness with a smile on his face, which quickly faded into shock when his eyes fell upon Martha. He shook it off quickly and then proceeded to pick up the tiny woman in a firm embrace. "Martha, I've missed you."

She eyed him carefully. "I saw you just the other week and you didn't look so... old..."

"Different Jack," Rory answered carefully.

"Same me, different time," Jack added. "I haven't seen you in... centuries."

She laughed in shock. "Sometimes I forget that you can live forever."

"The last time I saw you..."

She cut him off, seeing the sadness in his eyes. "I'm assuming it was my funeral and I'd rather not think about that."

"Alright then, let's have a glass of whatever this is to toast the birth of the twins!"

The idea was readily agreed with and the four time-travelers toasted the occasion with the soda-like drink they had found. It wasn't too much later that they all laid down to sleep, exhausted from the long day.

* * *

><p>With many hugs and a few tears Martha and the Williams family left the TARDIS the next day. River stayed with the Doctor with the promise that she would visit regularly.<p>

The birth of the twins affected quite a change in the Doctor. Instead of flirting with one new danger after another he found himself being rather cautious and worried. While he wasn't obsessive about the safety of the children he had a new found tendency to avoid anything that looked remotely dangerous as a destination. They took to traveling between Haven and the Williams home at varying intervals.

However Jack Harkness found himself quite at a loss for what to do anymore. He was a man with no home, no place in time, and no purpose. He had spent so many centuries at the time vault with Sophia that now, with her missions complete he had no more to accomplish. So he took to spending time in the storage areas of the TARDIS, exploring everything that had been left behind throughout the centuries.

He was in the midst of a pile of odds and ends that included a Union Jack t-shirt when River came down and sat next to him.

"I swear some days you look just about as lost as I feel."

He held the shirt a moment, lost in a memory, before looking at her. "I've lived so long, and some days I feel the weight of it all. I keep thinking I'll find a new purpose but I'm not sure where to find one." He folded the shirt carefully and placed it back on top of one of the piles.

"I was raised to be the Doctor's murderer; sometimes it's better not to have a purpose."

"You found another purpose in life though."

"Did I? I fell in love with the Doctor, made him my life. Either way, for good or for bad he has been the entire focus of my life. Yes I love him, and I love our children and our life, but there are days when I would give anything to live the life of my younger sisters and brother."

"To be normal again?"

She laughed. "To be normal at all in my case. You'll find your purpose again Alexander."

It was his time to laugh. "Ahh my old alias, Alexander Kledak. And here is something of mine from around that same time." Not too far from the Union Jack shirt was a sonic blaster which he picked up and handled gently. "The Doctor changed me. I was angry with the Time Agency for taking away my memories, which apparently has everything to do with you. I became a con-artist, found the name Jack Harkness and then met the Doctor. That was millennia ago for me, centuries for the Doctor, and I can't even begin to guess how long for you."

"Since I was convicted of killing the Doctor it's been about thirty years. I'm able to slow and reverse how my physical age appears, but I won't live forever."

He nodded. "Then make the best of it. I think I know where to go. Here take this, it got me out of a few scrapes when I used it, hopefully you can get some use out of it too." He handed the sonic-blaster to River and she accepted it with thanks.

"Where do you want to go?"

"I've already seen the end of the universe; why not watch it from the beginning?" He gave her a beautiful smile which she returned with a similar one.

Very shortly thereafter Jack Harkness, the man whose true name was lost to time traveled to one of the oldest galaxies in the universe to see time from very near to the beginning. Many eons later he would meet the Doctor again. At that point he was a very different creature, a wise and ancient being who had seen the beginning and the end who had a simple message to bring the Doctor, that he was not alone. The Doctor however had already seen the end of that tale.

* * *

><p>Rory and Amy meanwhile were enjoying raising their three younger children. Hope, though she had shown no signs of being changed in the same ways River had, began to do high level mathematics while she was still too young to be in school. While this worried her parents, River suggested that they just explain it away as her being gifted and not to worry so much about the children.<p>

The Williams family also became two of the founding members of a small society of individuals who knew or had traveled with the Doctor. It wasn't long before a much younger Jack Harkness arrived, followed quite closely by Sophia. The group shared their memories of the Doctor and their travels with him. Sophia and Jack proceeded to record the stories of the companions and saved them for the future generations of companions.

Amy and Rory, Martha and Mickey, as well as Sarah Jane never shared with anyone the secret of River Song and the Doctor, that secret was far too important to keep. Rumors of River Song did make it into the archives, some saying she married the Doctor while others proclaimed her his murderer. These archives were the very same ones she came to study when she researched the Doctor to become a Doctor of Archaeology.

* * *

><p>Callum and Olivia grew up from the perspective of their family at about the same time that their aunts and uncle were growing up, though their intellectual capacity was much greater than that of their non-Timelord kindred. They loved their human family and the time the spent on Earth with their very young grandparents. Upon reaching adulthood however, they decided to go to Haven and help complete the work of the refugee Timelords.<p>

Not long into their settlement on Haven the Doctor reached a very old age, and for only the second time in his eleven long lives the Doctor regenerated due to age. The new twelfth Doctor was still quite energetic, but much less clumsy than his eleventh incarnation. He was wise and mature, and still very much a wanderer.

"Well River what will we do now? Our children have grown up and there is still whole universe to explore."

She laughed. "New body new desire to travel again? Oh my love, I had worried that you wouldn't want me around anymore."

He looked at her solemnly. "I will always want you around River, always. My feelings for you haven't changed."

"I'm glad. I think that right now what I want to do is return to the time I lived the longest in. I want to teach archaeology. And you can finally travel the universe again, our children are grown and have chosen to remain on Haven, but this isn't my home."

He looked at her sadly and nodded. "I understand. I can take you there of course..."

She kissed him, noting in her mind how different and yet similar he tasted. "You had better visit and come whenever I call."

He laughed and grinned, she was still his River and he was still her Doctor. "It's a promise."

So he returned River Song to Luna University where she became one of the most respected professors of archaeology. She also developed a reputation as a freelancer in many fields. The Doctor visited her frequently and whenever she called. Callum and Olivia would also visit and bring her updates on how the project was progressing.

Haven's inhabitants had grown over time, and their ability to access Gallifrey was almost complete. They constructed two towers which would act as a gateway into the space between all universes and dimensions. It would only be a matter of complex calculations and experimentations before Gallifrey was freed of the terrors and safe to travel to from many universes. The Timelords of Haven also came to call their world by a new name. Haven became Darillium.

* * *

><p><em>Not that many chapters left, just having difficulties that make it hard to write. Reviews appreciated.<em>


	11. The Time War Ends

"When are you taking me to see the Towers," River asked impatiently.

The Doctor laughed. "When the link is complete. The work isn't finished yet and I can't take you before it's finished."

She rolled her eyes. "You've promised me a hundred times by now, how much longer will it be?"

The truth was that the Towers were done, the link was nearly done, and that the entire several hundred year long endeavor to free Gallifrey was quite close to completion. He just didn't want to take River and he had forbidden their children from doing so, without offering an explanation for why. He knew that she would die after seeing the Towers sing, knew she would see him that one time only and then never again. He didn't want her to go, but he knew it was inevitable. There was no way to stop what was destined to happen but he could sure push it off for as long as possible.

He knew when he was going to take her; the day was so clearly before him that nothing could delay it anymore. Even if he tried either Olivia or Callum would take her. The Day of Reunion, when the Battle of Gallifrey was won.

The Battle for Gallifrey was a long and hard fought one. Every one of Haven's Timelords had a part to play. The first goal was to separate the planet from the dangers that were around it, without breaking the timelock on Gallifrey itself.

"Careful now," came Sophia's instructions to the rest. "We need to free Gallifrey of external dangers before I can send a signal through to the other half of the lock-key. And we don't want to shift Gallifrey into the Void."

"Beginning sequence number one in five seconds," one of the scientists called out.

"Gallifrey timelock located," said another

"Shifting the quantum frequency."

"Initiating space-folding."

"Some of that Dalek fleet is too close to the planet to separate the two."

Sophia again directed the workers. "We can handle that when the space fold is complete, we need to send the horrors into the Void and keep Gallifrey in an active pocket of time. We have the weaponry to take out a Dalek fleet."

"Space-folding at forty-five percent, timelock holding."

"Separation of planet sixty percent complete."

"Estimated Dalek ships that will remain with planet is 127."

"Start targeting through the field, we don't want to break the lock just to have our people surrounded by a fleet of Daleks," came Sophia's commanding voice.

"Space-fold at eighty percent, timelock stable."

"Start preparing phase two. As soon as the space-fold is complete blast each of the Dalek ships. They'll all explode as soon as we break the lock."

"Space-fold complete, timelock stable, twelve percent of the surrounding enemies remain."

"Enemy vessels targeted."

"We can't fire until the lock is broken."

"That'll put everyone on the planet in danger."

"It's a risk we have to take. We haven't spent the past several hundred years getting to this point just to give up now! Prepare to fire once the lock breaks. I'm going to send the signal." For the first time since the Doctor had given it to her Sophia brought the key to the lock out and truly looked at it. She tapped a code into the circuits of the stone and waited. Eventually there was a response sequence, agreeing that if it was safe then the final sequence to release the lock could be input. She looked at the Doctor, who had come for this occasion and passed the key to him. "It's your turn grandfather; we just need your code."

He held the key heavily in his hand and then brought it to his lips and whispered against the stone. "The Key to Time is complete."

A moment later a woman's voice whispered back to him. "But only we know where to find it."

Then the stone began to glow gold and red and then it rose from his hand and levitated in the air. The gathered Timelords looked at the stone, some in fright and others in awe.

"The timelock is fading; Gallifrey is nearly in a mobile time stream again."

"Fire on the Dalek fleet as soon as the timelock fades. Assault team, prepare to teleport directly into the council chamber." At her instructions a small group of men and women stood up and linked arms, preparing to be the first team sent through the towers onto Gallifrey. Among them, much to the Doctor's dismay were his son and daughter.

"Why are they going," he bellowed.

Sophia's eyes rested coldly on him. He was used to fighting with her first and second incarnations, but Sophia III was a much more ridged sort of person, and she would have none of his sentimentalism. "They volunteered."

"But they're your... your..."

"My what? Have you forgotten how Gallifreyian bloodlines work? Only parent to child lineage is blood, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins, none of those relations mean anything past our first lives. Yes they are your children and for love of you I asked them to remain but they are far too much like you and River that they could not be swayed."

The twins smiled at their father briefly before their group was sent into the War.

The Time Council was in chaos. When it was unlocked the battle between the Master and Rassilon was still under way and the rest of the council members were running. Then the explosions overhead started as the Timelords on Darillium launched their missiles at the Daleks. Almost simultaneously the council members began to run.

The goals of the team were simple, protect the council and make sure that Rassilon was neutralized. As the council members ran the control team split into two groups, one following the council and the other remaining to help bring an end to the Master and Rassilon.

Callum followed a group of the Councilors and when they had reached a smaller room a woman turned to face him. She was a small, elderly woman with graying brown hair, and she wasn't happy. "What's going on?"

"We've come to free Gallifrey."

"How?"

"There was a small group that escaped before the time lock bound the planet. We are some of the survivors and their descendants. With a lot of work we figured out how to separate the fleet in the skies from the planet and create a time bubble around Gallifrey that will allow access to and from the planet."

"To what end? The council is in conflict and there are two madmen trying to kill one another in the main chamber!"

"We have taken down the remaining Dalek forces in the sky and half of our team has been instructed to neutralize the threat of both Rassilon and the Master. The rest of us are in charge of protecting the council."

She shook her head and sighed. "I assume that my former spouse has some sort of involvement in all this. I wasn't even aware that others had escaped other than him."

"Who is that?"

She sighed. "My name is Mareksa, first wife to the Doctor."

Callum was speechless for a moment before replying uncomfortably. "He's my father."

To his surprise, Marek smiled. "Then maybe he has finally found something to find happiness in again. Come, we need to move the council to safety and establish order on Gallifrey."

* * *

><p>In the Council Chamber, Olivia and her team were busy trying to stop two madmen from destroying everything. They arranged beacons around the room which were designed to control the power of the two men and then they had to neutralize the two crazed timelords. They had to avoid being hit by the energy the two men were releasing. Centurion was struck and killed while they were setting up the beacons, deflecting a blow meant for Olivia. Eventually they succeeded and the Master and Rassilon were contained. Then, according to Gallifreyian law, a proclamation of guilt was made against the men. They were accused of crimes against both the people of Gallifrey and the laws of time.<p>

Team Alpha in the council room contacted the Beta Team with the councilors. The decision was made collectively, and the order carried out: the Master and Rassilon were executed; their regenerations ended.

They cleared room and the councilors and the Beta team returned. They assessed the damage and communication was established with the various parts of the planet, trying to ensure that the war would come to an end. They also tended to the wounded.

Callum hugged Olivia tightly when they met back up; he looked over her wounds to make sure that she was ok. After she assured him repeatedly that she was ok he looked around the room for Mareksa, to introduce the two women. She was kneeling by the Master's body in one of the far corners of the room.

"Come, there's someone I want you to meet," he said quietly to Olivia. "She's our father's first wife."

They approached her quietly and heard her whispering softly in a dialect of Gallifreyian they were unfamiliar with. Then without turning she talked to them. "He was my brother, and your father's rival since childhood. He was always devious, always plotting and planning, always trying to outdo everyone else. We always hoped that one of his regenerations would be good. At least he fought for a good cause at the very end." She sighed sadly and then turned to them. "Let your father and the rest of our people on your world know that the Time War is over and Gallifrey is free."

* * *

><p>There was still a lot of work to finish but it wasn't long before the corridor between the two Timelord worlds was stable and the new council was established. Days later or years, depending upon ones perspective, was the day the Doctor had waited two lifetimes to face. It was a day of celebration for both of the worlds, the day when they would officially open up travel between Darillium and Gallifrey.<p>

He went to her, just as beautiful as the day he had first met her. "River, I think it's time to take a trip."

"Oh, where to?"

"Back home to Haven, or Darillium as they've been calling it for the past hundred or so years. They're having a celebration tonight; we're opening the passage to active travel between us and Gallifrey."

She laughed and gave him a quick kiss. "That's wonderful! I'm so glad you can return home."

He smiled at her, wanting nothing more than to just keep her away from the world he loved so much. But he took her to Darillium and with their children and his extended family they watched the towers sing. They sang from the resonant energy of the time-space corridor in beautiful tones that no instrument could ever make. As they sang the first transport from Gallifrey reached Darillium.

Sophia pressed a button on the consol to answer the hail from the Gallifreyian vessel. "Welcome to Darillium Madam President."

On the screen the faces of Mareksa, President elect of Gallifrey, and Romanadvoratrelundar, her vice-president, were visible. "It is a bleasure to be reunited with our people in a new era of peace," Marek replied to her great-great-granddaughter and the accompanying representatives of Darillium.

When the envoy entered the hall there was much celebrating and reuniting between the refugee Timelords and their Gallifreyian counterparts. And the Doctor saw Marek and Romana again, greeting them both happily as dear friends and loved ones. The celebration lasted late into the night, and as things were winding down River and the Doctor stood on a balcony alone, looking at the towers and listening to them sing as a ship passed through the corridor.

He clenched his hands on the railing, hoping that she wouldn't notice his silent tears, but she laid a gentle hand on his arm and asked what was wrong. He lied of course, he always did. She knew, but accepted his answer, because after all the years they had shared, their lives were still secrets.

He talked and laughed on their trip back to her home. He gave her a sonic screwdriver and then she asked why. He said that it seemed like the right time. He kissed her goodbye as though he could make her stay forever. But this was the end and all he could do was say goodbye and promise to see her again soon.

* * *

><p><em>TBC<em>

_This chapter took forever because between being sick and working I found Skyrim... that and I just hate this chapter. Still more to come. Reviews appreciated._


	12. The Library

River held his, or rather her, sonic screwdriver thoughtfully, she wondered if her death was soon, the death she had read about in Donna Noble's diary. A few days later she found a surprise at her door, Sophia had decided to visit.

"Now that my goals are accomplished I think it's time to help you," the Gallifreyian Timelady said.

"What do I need help with," River asked curiously.

"Do you remember that book I gave you? Donna Noble's diary, which tells about a woman with curly hair dying in the doctor's stead, your death. Didn't you ever wonder how I knew to give it to you so soon after meeting you?"

River was speechless, she hadn't thought about that for even a moment in the years since she had received Donna's journal. She shook her head and Sophia then told her a story.

* * *

><p>The regular meetings of the Doctor's former companions had been going on for over a year when Wilfred Mott joined. He talked to them about his own experiences and those of his granddaughter; he also relayed to them his growing concern for Donna's nightmares. Rory, knowing the eventual outcome of Wilfred's problem suggested the solution of a diary.<p>

It was a few months later that Sophia and Jack Harkness were introduced to the group. Sarah Jane welcomed them into her home and brought them to the rest of the group in her foyer. Upon seeing Jack again Martha ran into his arms and was spun around in a tight hug. Rory and Amy looked at one another, trying to gauge how they should react to seeing Sophia and Jack when they would meet for the first time again in five centuries.

"Amy Williams," she said with a smile, introducing herself to Jack.

He gave her one of his best smiles. "Pleasure to meet you Amy."

Rory glared and stepped up and placed himself between his wife and the 51st century flirt. "And I'm Rory, her husband."

To Rory's shock Jack gave him the same smile he had given Amy. "Not a problem, it's a pleasure to meet you too."

Sophia rolled her eyes next to him. "Jack behave yourself."

"I'm just saying hello."

"It's never just hello with you."

Amy laughed. "It's alright. Um, it's nice to meet you both."

Over time they adjusted to Jack and Sophia's presence in the group, even though Amy and Rory knew they couldn't say anything about their future.

A few years later they began the memory record, each of them writing down and recording their experiences with the Doctor. Then they placed all of their files where they would be secure. Amy and Rory were very careful in the recollections they put into the memory vault, censoring all information about River being Melody. Then Wilf brought Donna's diary; he had taken it one day when she wasn't around. She attributed losing it to her general forgetfulness.

When everyone was leaving for the evening Rory held the diary in his hands, and walked up to Sophia. "Can we talk?"

She looked at him inquisitively. "Of course."

He looked around to make sure no one could overhear and then continued. "I know who you are, Amy and I both know. Everyone else, they just think you're another human companion, except Jack."

"How do you know?"

He sighed. "The first time we met you was in your future. You'll find the Doctor and go off with him to find survivors. But before you go you'll meet my oldest daughter, and you'll have to give her this journal. I know that you will because that's how I know what it says about her. She will die for the Doctor. But you're a Timelord, so you better find a way for her to live."

She accepted the journal from his hands and with an unreadable expression on her face replied. "I'll do my best."

"Don't just do your best. Please, I'm begging you; find a way for River to live."

* * *

><p>"So I promised your father countless centuries ago to find a way to save you, and I have. I know where you die and when, it's almost a fixed point, much like the Doctor's death. It's possible to find a way around a fixed point; it just takes a lot of work."<p>

River took a deep breath, still processing everything. "So what do we need to do?"

Sophia smiled. "We just need a little technology that you should be familiar with."

* * *

><p>So River was ready, whenever she went on an expedition from that point on she made sure she was protected. Then the day came for her to take a trip to the Library.<p>

Despite her foreknowledge nothing could have prepared her for the shock of meeting a Doctor who didn't know her. It hurt her more than anything she could remember. She looked into his eyes and felt a part of herself die.

She watched her team die and hated the pain in every loss.

Then she watched as the man she loved was about to sacrifice himself for everyone inside the Library's database. She knew then that this is how it always would have been. He would always have risked his live and she would sacrifice herself for him.

And what greater reason would he have to trust her than knowing not only that he told her his true name but that she would die for him. Her trust in him at her death led to his faith in her when she killed him.

She needed him to know that she would die; she knew that she could never see him again. She cried, telling him that he couldn't rewrite their lives, their moments, just as he had told her once that she couldn't rewrite time. Funny how they both wanted to rewrite time to save each other. She loved him and she sacrificed herself so that it would all begin.

So the tenth Doctor saw River Song die in a great bright light. Her body was gone and her suit remained. Donna found him some time later and used the sonic screwdriver to unlock him from the pole. Together they moved the suit, containing whatever remained of River Song to a place that would be safe. Then he laid her diary to rest in the Library and uploaded her memory into the data core. River Song was dead...

Or not...

In a private laboratory vessel Sophia and Olivia knew exactly what was happening to River Song. The technology used to keep her safe was one that had been used to kidnap her as a child. River was able to travel to the Library as Flesh, in complete control of her own thoughts and actions. Her flesh avatar died in the Library but her body was safe.

"Something's wrong," Olivia said in a panicked voice.

"What's wrong?"

"Her brain waves, they're abnormal, something has happened to her."

"Try waking her up."

"I did, it's not working."

Sophia placed a gentle hand on the much younger Timelady's back. "Don't worry; we'll get her back safely. I think that some of her brain waves may have been taken into the mainframe of the Library, we'll just need to get close enough to upload them back into our computers and reintegrate them."

They traveled to orbit of the Library where they could access the system and after a difficult time they were able to retrieve River's memory patterns. However even though the upload was successful River's body began to shut down and her vital signs were becoming critical.

"You said this would work! There has to be something more we can do," Olivia pleaded.

Sophia looked just as worried. "Unless she is able to gain energy from somewhere I don't know what more we can do. Usually flesh deaths are simple, this one was complicated. How was I supposed to know this would happen?"

"What about regeneration energy? Mom told me that she used her regeneration energy to restore dad, could the same thing be done now?"

The older woman wasn't sure what to say at first. The plan had potential, but there was no regeneration energy present. "If one of us had just regenerated then yes, there would be a way to do it, but we're both healthy."

Then had one of her mother's expressions, very much a trait of Pond women, an expression of unwavering determination and trouble. "I'll do it then, for her to live."

Some Timelords, gifted in their arts can spark a regeneration without being fatally wounded. Olivia focused her energy and regenerated, passing any energy she could into her mother.

River Song awoke to her daughter's new face smiling down on her. "What happened?"

"There were difficulties in retrieving you, but we succeeded."

River smiled sadly. "Thank you. I only wish your father could know I'm alive."

Olivia shifted her gaze away. "He's gone, no one knows where to find the Doctor anymore. He was so distraught after leaving you the last time that he just left."

River nodded sadly. "He'll return one day. I suppose now that I'm 'dead' I should go home."

"Which home?"

"My parents, I've seen my family grow up, I may as well actually become part of it. I can finally live a normal life with my parents and sisters and brother. I do believe Hope was engaged the last time I visited and I'd hate to miss the wedding."

Olivia nodded, unsure of what to say. River stood up and hugged her daughter. "You and your brother may visit at any time you know. They are your family."

"Then I think we'll have to make regular trips."

"You'd better."

So it was decided, River Song would become Melody Williams and live with her family as a part of the family. And for several years they lived as close to normal as a family so impacted by the Doctor could. Then Sophia came back because the universe needed River Song again

* * *

><p><em>TBC<em>

_Still more to come. Reviews appreciated._


	13. Valeyard

River was the only person home for a change. Hope had moved out a year before to live with her fiancé. Carys was away at University. Tristan, Rory, and Amy were all at work. River found her family life boring at times but she still loved being with them. She missed her adventures, missed the Doctor, but finally had the normal life she had often dreamed about having.

She was reading when she heard a knock on the back door, which was strange because there was no way into the back except from the house... or if you had a TARDIS. Yet when she opened the door she didn't find the Doctor as she had hoped but Sophia.

"What are you doing here?"

Sophia IV, who looked younger than River, sighed. "We need you again. The Doctor needs you. I was an idiot, thought I could do all of this on my own. Now I know we still need you."

"What are you talking about?"

Sophia wandered into the house and got herself a drink from the refrigerator. "I always knew that Gallifrey would be freed because I knew that the Doctor had visited the past of our world and was known as The Valeyard. He put himself on trial, meaning to execute himself."

"How did you know that hadn't happened yet?"

"He hadn't reached the end of his regeneration cycles. The Valeyard is the Doctor but at the end of his twelfth life. During the Time War he was only in his eighth life."

"So the twelfth Doctor has now died and he's in trouble?" Sophia nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

"Talk to him. If anyone can reach the Valeyard and make him the Doctor again it's you."

"How would I even find him?"

"We know he is somewhere in the past trying to interfere with the Council of Timelords. His TARDIS is hidden and that's where we assume his body is. If we can get the Valeyard to the Doctor's body I'm sure you can convince him to stop projecting this self-destructive persona and that he will regenerate."

River hesitated. To have the Doctor back in her life was her dream, but she was afraid of what could go wrong.

"Please, if you can't do this I don't know what will save the Doctor."

So River agreed and went with Sophia through space and time to find the find the Valeyard. When they found him he was alone, on the run from the authorities on Gallifrey, careful to avoid being seen, yet not careful enough to hide from River Song.

Sophia offered to come with her, but River refused; she had to meet him on her own. It was late and she had no idea if he was in the TARDIS or not, but the doors opened for River without hesitation.

The twelfth Doctor lay on the floor beside the TARDIS console. River walked slowly to him and kneeling, caressed his face. She didn't realize they weren't alone until she felt something hard pressed against the back of her head. She froze.

"I have a blaster against your skull in case you were wondering. Now I want you to turn around slowly and tell me why you are here and how you found me."

She did what he asked and let her eyes meet his. "Valeyard?" He remained silent, too startled to respond. "I'm not a ghost. I didn't die in the Library. I went home and you ran away. You left your world, left our children, and disappeared."

"I don't believe it."

She laughed. "All this time, everything we've been through and you didn't think I could find a way to cheat death? In four lifetimes I've never seen you like this. I've seen you angry, foolishly angry. I've seen the darkness in your soul and never run from you. Yet here you are, running from yourself, from everyone who loves you, and trying to destroy yourself."

"I don't deserve life or family. Do you know how many lives I have destroyed? How many families I have torn apart? Can you begin to understand that the universe would be better off without the likes of me?" His voice was strained and angry, but he had lowered his weapon.

Her eyes blazed at him and her voice was deathly low when she replied. "You made me, remember? Took my mother into the universe as if nothing could go wrong and it nearly destroyed her. My life was stolen from me. My future determined for me. Then I met you and you gave me a new future."

"I lied to you. Every day I saw you I knew I'd be sending you to your death and I lied so you would save me. In your first selfless act I was nothing but selfish, as usual!"

"I know, but does it matter? I'm alive now. I became the woman you did love, the woman you chose to have a second family with. So yes, I have seen the worst that you bring, but I have also seen the best. We choose some parts of our lives, but not all of them, and we make the best out of the situations that are before us. Giving up because we don't like what we've done isn't an option. Isn't that the point of regeneration; to give a Timelord the chance to have a brand new life?"

"Why are you here?" His voice was softer now, distant.

"To save you from yourself." Daring, she touched his hand. "Please, end this madness and become your thirteenth self. Don't let my gift to you be lost."

"Do you think it's that easy River?"

"No, I don't, but I think that together we can keep moving forward."

He gently touched her cheek. "For you I would do anything."

A moment later the Valeyard was gone and the Doctor had begun regenerating again. When the thirteenth Doctor opened his eyes he smiled at River.

"Well, now that we have no secrets what shall we do?"

"Anything."

"One day this will end, we can't live forever."

"I know that, but in the long journey of our lives we've never been able to stop having secrets 'til now. Some day our journeys will end, but today isn't that day."

He jumped up, and touched the TARDIS controls tenderly. "Well then where will we go first?"

* * *

><p>The End<p>

Thank you to everyone who has shown interest in this story. I had a very big goal for such a small story: to tie up all the loose ends that I had seen scattered throughout Doctor Who. While I know this story isn't perfect I hope that all of you who read it have enjoyed it.

Each of the characters has had a very complicated timeline in the story. The Doctor and Sophia aged hundreds of years while River and her children only aged a few decades and the Ponds went through less time than that.


End file.
